Batting

The Belmont Abbey softball team was swept at Queens in the final non-conference doubleheader of the season. The Crusaders dropped the opener 7-0 and fell in the nightcap 5-4 as the Abbey scored all four runs in the sixth. Queens improves to 17-19 while the Abbey slips to 9-32.

In game one, the Royals scored in each of the first four innings, plating three in the first, one each in the second and third and two more in the fourth.

Belmont Abbey totaled six hits as Shanie McConnell totaled two. Samantha Jacobs worked the first two and one thirds innings, giving up five runs, four earned. She walked three and fanned two. Ashley Rollins limited the Crusaders to six hits in the complete game effort. She did not record a strikeout and walked two.

In the nightcap, the Royals surged ahead 5-0 with runs in the first, third and fifth innings.

Belmont Abbey rallied in the sixth as it scored all four times in the frame to trim the Queens lead to one.

Shannon Cardillo drove in McConnell with a groundout to third to produce the next run. Two Queens errors on the same play contributed to the next two runs, as Mackenzie Dziendziel singled to center, scoring Amber Faust, and moved to second on the first error. She then raced to third on an error by the leftfielder, which chased home Jordan Killian with the third run. Katherine Starnes kept the rally going with a single to back up the box, plating Dziendziel to slice the Queens lead to 5-4.

Those were the last runs of the game as the final six batters went down in order.

Lyndey McCurry picked up the win after giving up four runs, three earned, on nine hits. She struck out four and walked two. Catelyn Presley pitched the first five innings, surrendering five runs, four earned, striking out four.

Four Crusaders-Dziendziel, Starnes, McConnell and Kaitlyn Jones-had two hits with Killian recording the other.